Soon, one can fly to Shirdi to get Shri Sai Baba’s blessings as the airport in Shirdi has got the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) license on Thursday. The airport is slated to begin operations on October 1.

The airport is located in Kakdi village which is about 14 km to the southwest of the temple town Shirdi. It has a runway long enough for Airbus A-320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.

The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has developed the greenfield airport which is spread on 400 hectares at a cost of 350 crores. The airport will be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind.

Initially, the airport is expected to ferry at least 500 passengers a day to Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. According to sources, Air India’s Alliance Air plans to launch flights from Mumbai and Delhi, while regional carrier Trujet will run flights from Hyderabad to Shirdi.

An estimate has put the footfall at Shirdi to be around 60,000 per day. The airport authorities plan to tap at least 10- 12 percent.

There are plans to expand the runway and logistic development for night landings is underway. An official said that they expect permissions for night operations in a few months.